THE WORD
FIRST READING
Zep 3: 14–18
Shout for joy, daughter Zion!
sing joyfully, Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, Zion,
do not be discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior,
Who will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
Who will sing joyfully because of you,
as on festival days.
I will remove disaster from among you,
so that no one may recount your disgrace.
SECOND READING
Phil 4: 4–7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
GOSPEL READING
Lk 3: 10–18
And the crowds asked John, “What then should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.
IN OTHER WORDS
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is credited for coining the phrase “Death of God.” He is also believed to have said: “If you Christians would only come out of church smiling, I just might become a Christian myself.”
Today is ‘Gaudete Sunday’, a day of rejoicing. In the anxiety-laden season of Advent, the third Sunday appears pleasantly unique. Today’s responsorial psalm, for example, summons us to “sing and shout for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” The second reading also bids us the same: “I want you to be very happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness” (Phil 4:4).
How do we regard the importance of happiness in our lives? How badly do we need it? Well, it is essential enough that people are willing to spend thousands of dollars to travel to some parts of the world, build extravagant houses, organize or attend lavish parties, own expensive possessions all in search of happiness. There are many things that can make a person happy. Yet, there are also many things that can make a person unhappy. Oftentimes, it is what we have or see or hear that make us unhappy. It is not always that we become unhappy because of what we do not have. In several instances, it is our inability to achieve balance between having and not having that makes us unhappy?
The Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, once made an assertion, saying that “the meaning of life is finding your gift, and the purpose of life is to give it away.” I may add that happiness is when the finding leads to giving, and the meaning to purpose.
Once upon a time in an African village, a group of youngsters competed in a race to the peak of a steep, rocky mountain. Some people in the crowd commented that the path was way too difficult and nobody will make it to the top. And so it happened that some competitors started to collapse, and others got injured and quit. Eventually, all but one gave up. When asked how he managed to finish the race and reach the top of the hill, the young lad remained quiet, for he did not hear the question. He was deaf!
Lacking something could mean being blessed with what is more important. Not having many things could open doors for us to appreciate the true worth of who we are and what we are capable of. It comes as no wonder that the poor are oftentimes more generous than the wealthy ones. They are happier, too, and closer to God.
This Advent, let us be thankful to God both for what he has given us and what he has not given us, and let us be simply happy with him
- Fr. Narciso Cellan, SVD (Kenya)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
